What Clippers Size To Use

Clippers are probably the most convenient and effective innovation in the world of hair cutting in the past few decades. Simply put, cutting hair, especially on men, has never been so fast or easy. Heck, the same job could take up to 10 times as long with your good old hair cutting scissors when compared to the convenience and speed of a clipper.

There is also the fact that creating short haircuts with maximum accuracy is a big bonus that you get with a clipper. Today we are here to talk about what clippers size to use for different jobs. Let’s not waste any more time and get right to it.

Detachable Clipper Size

One of the most commonly used types of clipper is the detachable clipper. The detachable part refers to the blade guard or comb on top. In other words, each guard or comb is of a different length or size. They can be detached and replaced with any other size guard comb that fits your model of clipper. These often come in various sizes, at least 5, but usually more than that. Let’s go over the most common sizes of detachable clipper guards and what they are generally used for.

3 ¾ blade – This blade will cut hair to ½ inch in length. This length is more than ideal for tapered haircuts, buzz cuts, and children’s haircuts too (boys).

3 ½ blade – This blade will cut hair to 3/8 of an inch in length. This blade length is generally used for medium length tapered haircuts, buzz cuts, and short length children’s haircuts.

2 blade – This blade will cut the hair to around ¼ inch in length. This length is usually used for very short buzz cuts, short tapered haircuts, short children’s haircuts, and tapering work. It is also used for doing detail work before a short haircut is totally finished.

1 ½ blade – This blade length will cut the hair to 1/8 of an inch in length, so very short indeed. This particular blade length is best for ultra short tapered haircuts, extremely short buzz cuts, detail work, and more. It is also used for tapering work, special designs, and other small jobs. Many people use this blade for the clipper over comb technique.

1A blade – This blade length will cut the hair to 1/16 of an inch in length. This is best used for extremely short haircuts, near bald buzz cuts, and for trimming and styling facial hair.

1 blade – This blade length is more or less like not having a guard over the blade at all. It is best used for the clipper over comb technique, for detail work, working around the ears, and for trimming facial hair.

0A blade – This blade length is best used for the clipper over comb technique, detail work, and fades. It is extremely short.

000 blade – This blade length is great for the clipper over comb technique and is often used for doing fades and detail work in military style flat top and buzz cut haircuts.

0000 & 00000 blade – These are the shortest lengths of blade guard around and are best used for bald fade and near bald fade haircut work.

Adjustable Clippers

There are also adjustable clippers, which most people would deem to be much more convenient than detachable clippers. These can be adjusted to different lengths with a simple dial located somewhere on the clipper. Simply turn the dial to raise or lower the guard to suit your needs. Now, we are not going to get into the different lengths, because we did already cover that above. However, the important thing to remember here is that adjustable clippers do usually cost more, but they are also much easier and faster to use.

Clipper vs Trimmer

There is also a difference between the clipper used by barbers and the trimmers which they use. Generally speaking, both do look the same and they come with some kind of guard system, but trimmers tend to be much smaller. The blades and the teeth on trimmers tend to be much smaller than their clipper counterpart.

This is because trimmers are most often used for small detail work like lining up beards and cutting mustaches down to size. They are much smaller in order to get into tight places and execute fine detail work without cutting away too much hair. If your aim for your clipper is to trim your beard and align it properly, you are better off getting a trimmer.

Conclusion

Whether you use a detachable clipper or adjustable clipper, make sure to get the length of guard right before you cut. You know what they say, measure twice and cut once. Always make sure to have the proper size before you start, because once you do get started there is no turning back.

Some recommended products may use affiliate links. GiveItACut.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc or its affiliates.